Fire-escape.



Patented Aug. l5, I899.

.1. LAMING.

HRE ESCAPE.

(Application filed J'una 6, 1899.)

2 $heats8heet l.

(No Model.)

m: nonms vzrzns co, ncro-Lnnm WASHINGTON, n c

No. 630,902. Patented Aug. [5, 1899.

J. LAMING.

FIRE ESCAPE.

[Application filed June 6, 1899.)

2 Sheets-SM 2 1N0 Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LAMING, OF ST. STEPHEN, CANADA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 630,902, dated August 15, 1899.

Application filed June 5, 1899. Serial No, 719,481. (No model.)

To to whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN LAMING, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at St. Stephen, in the county of Charlotte and Province of New Brunswick, Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to fire-escapes, and has for its object the production of a simple, cheap, and reliable apparatus which may be used adjacent to any window of a building and which by a novel arrangement of pulleys, ropes, and cushioning-springs, 850., will enable any person, whether young or old and feeble, to escape from any story of a burning building with perfect ease and safety. The apparatus contemplated in this invention is designed to be located within a room or corridor immediately adjacent to the window through which the escape is to be made.

The invention embodies a suitable casing which may be either plain or ornamental and which is designed to contain a portion of the apparatus and also to support exteriorly the remainder of the apparatus, it being intended to print or otherwise indicate upon the exterior of the casing the directions which persons are to follow in making use of the apparatus.

The detailed object and advantages will be fully pointed out in the course of the ensuing description.

The invention consists in a fire-escape ap-- paratus embodying certain novel features and the details of construction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafterset forth, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus complete with the door of the casing thrown open to illustrate the mechanism therein. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the position to which the parts are adjusted when making a descent. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the casing, showing the pulleys and cushioning-spring and also the manner of reeving the rope around the pulleys. Fig. 4 is a detail section through the cushioningspring and its housing, showing the manner in which the spring is compressed by the stop on the rope. Fig. 5 is a perspective View illustrating the form of the sling and the manner of attaching the same to the body of the person using the fire-escape. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail perspective view of the exten sion arm or bracket.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the casing, which maybe constructed of wood or any suitable material, said casing comprising a compartment 2, which is ordinarily closed by means of a door 3, which may be swung open for the purpose of inspecting and adjusting the mechanism therein. The casing is also provided with a projecting back 4, by means of which it may be bolted or otherwise secured to a supporting-wall or window-frame.

In carrying out the present invention I provide a triangular series of pulleys 5, 6, and 7, the said pulleys being arranged in the compartment 2 and journaled on separate and independent spindles or stud-shafts, secured at one end on the back 4 and supported at their opposite or outer ends in a trifurcated bracket 9, the end portions of which are bent inward and firmly secured to the back 4 by means of bolts or other suitable fastenings. Each of the pulleys above mentioned is provided with a grooved periphery, as shown at 10, and a rope 11 passes around all of the pulleys, that portion of the rope passing around the intermediate pulley 6 being twisted or looped, so that the rope crosses itself at the point 12.

In one of the upper corners of the compartment 2 I arrange a housing 13, in which is placed a coiled spring 14. The rope 11 passes through the ends of said housing and out through an opening 15 in the side of the easing 1. The rope also passes through the coils of the spring 14 and is provided at the proper point with a stop or button 16, which at the right moment passes into and through the opening 15 and strikes against the adjacent end of the spring 14, partially or wholly compressing said spring, and thereby cushioning the fall or descent of the operator in a manner that will more fully appear hereinafter.

Extending horizontally across the back 4 and preferably underneath the compartment 2 is a rod or shaft 17, mounted in suitable eyes or brackets 18. Upon the projecting end of said rod or shaft 17 is placed an extensionbracket 19, consisting of two metal bars arranged side by side and overlapping each other. One of said bars is provided with laterally-projecting sleeves or eyes 20, in which the other bar slides, thus keeping the two bars or members of the bracket in close contact with each other and in longitu dinal alinement. One of said bars is provided with a set-screw 21, which passes therethrough and bears against the other bar, thus enabling the bracket to be extended in length and held at the proper adjustment.

The projecting or outer member of the bracket is provided at its outer end with a loop 22, in which is placed a grooved pulley 23, mounted upon a short transverse shaft or pin 24:. The extension-bracket when contracted in length occupies a position inside of the window and hangs pendent from the easing, the rope 11 passing through the loop 22 and running over and around the pulley 23. \Vhen the fire-escape is to be used, the extension arm or bracket is swung outward through the window-opening and its length extended so as to carry the pulley 23 the desired distance from the outer surface of the wall, the bracket being allowed to rest upon the window set for its support. The casing is also provided with a plurality of hooks 25, upon which the rope may be hung when properly coiled, as shown in Fig. 1, thus securing a compact arrangement of all parts of the apparatus.

The sling is composed of elastic straps and comprises a body-strap 26, which is intended to pass around the body beneath the arms, and a similar strap 27, adapted to pass around the legs adjacent to the knees. The ends of said straps are connected by means of snaphooks 28, which, by reason of their simplicity,-

enable the sling to be quickly applied to the body of the person using the fire-escape. In order to properly position the straps 26 and 27, they are connected at their ends by stays 29, which lie substantially parallel to each other when the sling is in its applied position. The straps 26 and 27 and the stays 29 are formed of stout elastic webbing, thereby assisting'the spring 14, above described, in cushioning the descent of the operator. The rope 11 is provided at a suitable point with a snaphook 30, which is connected to an eye on the sling, said eye being preferably arranged on the body-strap, so as to support the operator in an upright or standing position. It will be understood that the rope is twice as long as the distance from the window to the ground, so as to provide a descending and a return portion. This enables the sling to be hoisted again to the window after one person has descended therein, so that the fire-escape apparatus may be used repeatedly.

In operating the fire-escape the extension bar or bracket is swung out of the window until it rests upon the window-sill after having been extended in length. The sling is then adjusted about the body of the operator and secured by the snap-hooks. The operator then passes through the window and begins to descend by grasping the return portion of the rope. The tension on the rope due to the arrangement of pulleys, the crossing of the rope, and its passage through the cushionin g-sprin g and over the pulleys at the extremity of the extension-arm is so regulated that any one descending may arrest his downward progress with a slight effort by grasping thereturn portion of the rope. The length of the rope is so adjusted to the height of the window that should the person descending lose control of himself and his movements the stop 16 will come in contact with the cushioning-spring just as the persons' feet touch the ground, and the gradual compression of the spring will serve to break the fall of the person.

The apparatus hereinabove described is simple in construction, may be manufactured at small cost, and may be put up adjacent to any window of a building. Simple instructions may be placed upon the casing, and the apparatus will enable either young or. old and feeble persons to descend from any window of a building and from any height without danger of being injured.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described fire-escape will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that changes in the size, shape, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, wha

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a fire-escape, a casing, triangularlyarranged pulleys therein, and a cushioningspring housed within the casing, in combination with a hoisting and lowering device, as a rope, reeved around the pulleys and passin g through the spring, and a stop fast on said rope and adapted to cooperate with the spring.

2. In a fire-escape, the combination witha stationary casin g adapted to be arranged within a building and adjacent to a window, and a cushioning device within said casing, of a longitudinally-extensible arm pivotally connected to the casing and adapted to be swung outward through the window-opening to form asupport for the hoisting and lowering de vice, a pulley at the outer end of said arm, and a rope running over said pulley and cooperating with the cushioning device.

3. In a fire-escape, the combination with a casing, of a coiled spring housed therein, a hoisting and lowering device, as a rope passing through the coils of said spring, and a stop or button fast on the rope and adapted to operate upon said spring. 7

at. In a fire-escape, the combination with a casing, of a series of pulleys and a cushion thereon, in combination with a cushioningspring housed Within the same casing and having said rope passed therethrough, sub- I 5 stantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN LAMING.

Witnesses:

GEORGE J. CLARKE, BERUA MAIN. 

